Our Oregon Ducks football program trounced Purdue as we all expected, but what some of you may not have expected was Georgia bullying Texas in their home stadium. Now, the Ducks have propelled to the top slot in the country. As the best-ranked team in the country, fanbases from all over have convened and started arguing over the top five-to-ten teams specifically, with Oregon being the premiere team and receiving the most flack on their feathers. As Duck fans, it’s hard to be objective, but let’s try to be: does Oregon deserve to be considered the best team in the country?
Does it get much better than this catch?? Via Zach Bolinger
The Short: Yes, 100 Times Over
I believe Oregon deserves to be considered the best in the country, and it comes down to one fact: ZERO teams are head and shoulders above everyone else. Every program can find ways to lose or be in close games. There’s no team this year that is expected to be undefeated entering the College Football Championship game, and Oregon is no different; they just haven’t lost yet. I don’t believe they will, personally, but with their showing in the first seven games, this is undoubtedly one of the best programs in the country.
The offense has massively improved over the past five weeks of the season. Their offensive line used to be an issue early in the year; now they just look outright dominant. On the defensive side, fewer and fewer chunk plays have come up on the stat sheet for every team the Ducks play. Pressure is becoming a staple. Great coverage is becoming commonplace. After a shutout for their seventh win of the season, there’s not much more you could ask of this team to prove that they’re the best in the country.
The real question comes down to: did anyone else in the country deserve to be considered the “best” over them? Yes. Until Saturday, that is.
Texas’s Embarrassing Showing on Saturday
Top to bottom, this was about as awful of a showing as you can see from the “best team in the country.” The fans were awful, and the team was awful—head coach Steve Sarkisian benched their best player in the second quarter. While the defense played fairly well, I don’t care how good Arch Manning might have looked in Quinn Ewers’s absence; you don’t bench your first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Either way, I am disgusted by the Longhorns fans’ behavior, particularly after they endangered players and forced the refs into a position where they broke the rules to offer a more respectable final score to the home team.
This was inexcusable, a terrible look for the sport, and warranted the $250,000 fine they received this weekend. Texas completely deserved to lose both this game and their top slot. More importantly, I know the Longhorns would lose to Oregon today. That’s no disrespect to their great program or what they’ve built under Sark in the last few years. Dillon Gabriel has just played THAT well, and the Oregon defense has only improved throughout the season. There also wouldn’t be a student section to throw garbage at Tez Johnson on his way to the endzone on a neutral site. With a reputation and poor sportsmanship like that, it was only a matter of time before Texas lost its position as the best team in the country.
Now Oregon takes over, and Georgia is rightfully in the second slot. I love what Kirby Smart did Saturday in an overly hostile environment, and it’s clear why Dan Lanning has been such a superstar recruiter, leader, and head coach on his own. Of course, he’s made his mark as a coach and play-caller to be as elite as he is, but it does help to have had Smart to mentor him along the way.
In the landscape of college football, this is about as competitive as it has ever been—I would personally love to see an Oregon vs. Georgia game in the title. Ohio State is evidently beatable, Penn State will prove their worth on Nov. 2nd, and the Ducks will hold their top spot until further notice.
Tez Johnson and the whole offense showed out on Saturday – Via Zach Bolinger
Bottom Line: Hold the top slot for now; earn it in the Big-10 Championship
If there’s anything to ask about Oregon after a 35-0 win this week: What would make this team even better? Dominating the line of scrimmage more than they already do by getting Jordan Burch back. Having Terrance Ferguson re-enter the lineup as this team’s best tight end on the roster. Outside of that, I’m constantly reminded of how strong this team is from top to bottom. There was a moment when Jabbar Muhammad went down in the third quarter, and it was a real eye-opening moment for me watching this team.
Do you know who took his place on the boundary for a few series? Rodrick Pleasant. A world-class sprinter with immense talent who further validates how deep this Oregon team truly is. If you don’t believe they deserve the top slot at 7-0 with the third-ranked Heisman favorite, you’re watching the wrong sport. Let’s see them grab this slot, nurture it, and hold onto it for the rest of the season, Oregon fans.
Don’t agree? Where do you think the Ducks belong? Who’s Oregon’s best player right now, and who do you believe should be in the No. 1 slot in the country? Let us know in the FishDuck Forum with decorum.
Rooted in substance. Go Ducks!
Alex Heining
Los Angeles, California
Top Photo By: Zach Bolinger
Alex Heining is an Oregon alumni from the graduate class of 2021. After studying sports business and media studies, he has moved into the field of digital marketing as a copywriter and content manager in the Los Angeles area. Still, he loves his Ducks and goes to local high school games all over the Los Angeles and Orange County area to check out new recruits of the future (and a SoFi game or two with the pros). On any given Saturday, expect to find him doing martial arts, playing the guitar, or screaming at the tv over a missed holding penalty.